Beyond the Waves
by Time to Daydream
Summary: It's been several years since Ariel left to the human world. Her family continued on with their normal lives. Aquata found love and started a family of her own. One of her daughters loves to explore, but one day she got into big trouble because of it.
1. Fun

Chapter 1: Fun

"Catch me if you can!" I shouted playfully. I swam between boulders, around some coral and through a group of merpeople.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" one of them shouted angrily.

"Sorry!" I shouted back and kept swimming.

I was being chased by a dolphin. He was my best friend since I could remember. He looks like all dolphins. Although, Dan is smaller than most of them. I don't really mind though. I could still have fun with him.

"Slow down!" Dan shouted.

"No!" I laughed and kept swimming. I dodged through crowds of merpeople and schools of fish. I kept swimming towards my home, the castle.

Once I reached the castle, I came to a hard stop. I placed my hand in front of me and touched the castle wall with my finger.

"I win, I win." I chanted like a little child.

"Whatever," he scoffed.

"You're just mad that I'm faster." I taunted. He looked at me and smirked. "Okay, come on now." I said leading him inside. We swam up to my bedroom, where I shut the door behind us. I took off my satchel and sat down on my bed. I carefully took everything out of my satchel.

In total, there were different seashells on my bed. They all were different sizes and colors.

"Cool." Dan gasped. "We found those?" he asked, not believing his eyes.

"Yup, we found these." I nodded. I carried each one and placed them on a shelf. I swam back and admired my shelf full of unique shells.

A knock was heard on my door and in came my mother.

"Hello Queen Aquata." Dan greeted.

"Hello Dan." she replied and then looked at me. "Hello Pearl."

"Hello mother." I greeted back.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"I was out, exploring and looking for new thing for my collection. See?" I gestured at the new features of my shelf.

"These are beautiful. I remember how my sister, Ariel, used to have a collection. She was quite adventurous just like you." she smiled thoughtfully when she said 'Ariel.'

"Oh. Is it time?" I asked.

"Yes, darling. We better get going."

I nodded and followed her downstairs. Dan trailed behind us as we swam to meet up with my sisters.

We were all were going to get ready for a huge ball tonight. I wasn't a huge fan about balls, but I had to go along with it since I was a princess.

We swam into a dressing room and sat down at our own dressing table. Each of my sisters was fixing their hair and putting on accessories. I sat there, staring at my own reflection, not knowing what to do.

My mother came up behind me and started brushing my hair.

"Why do I have to do this again?" I asked her.

"Well," she started. "We are trying to introduce you to the kingdom. Your father and I want each of you to meet new people."

"I see no point in this." I mumbled.

My mother sighed, but before she could say anything else, someone called for her.

"Pearl, mom and dad just want us to see if we can try to find a spouse." my oldest sister, Coraline, told me.

"But why me?" I asked. "I'm just fourteen."

"It's not really for you, Pearl. It for the older ones." she answered and turned around towards her dressing table.

I sighed and brushed my long hair. I stared into the mirror and frowned, not wanting to attend this ball.

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**All I have to say is _Remember to review._**


	2. The Ball

Chapter 2: The Ball

**Hey everyone. I'm back with another chapter.**

**To RoseQuartz1: No, Aquata is the second oldest sister. The oldest sister is Attina. It's Attina, Aquata, Arista, Andrina, Adella, Alana, and lastly Ariel. At least, I'm pretty sure it is in this order.**

**Now on with the story.**

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I swam out of the dressing room and saw Dan waiting for me.

"You look pretty." he complimented.

"Thanks." I smiled. "Are you going to attend the ball?"

"Yes. Just to keep you company."

"And that's why you're my best friend." I grinned. "Now it won't be as boring."

"Come on girls." my mother called.

We all form a line, from oldest to youngest.

My sister, Coraline, was first. Behind her were my twin sisters, Shellsea and SeaSea. I was after then and lastly was my sister Finberly.

We followed my mother to the ballroom, where everyone was waiting for us.

My father and mother were introduce, then us.

When it was my turn, I swam down the runway, feeling uncomfortable stares. I met up with the rest of my family and whispered, "Can I leave now?" to my parents.

"No sweetie." my mother answered. "You have to be here."

"Your mother's right. Just try to make some friends." my father agreed.

"Alright," I groaned. "I'll try." I swam off to find Dan, which wasn't difficult. He was by the stage.

"How is it?" he asked.

"Horrible."

"How come?"

"You know I don't like attention." I answered.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have been a princess." he joked.

"It's not like I wanted this." I smirked. "Plus, I don't think that's why they were staring at me."

"You're right. That's not why."

I nodded and frowned.

"Look, just try to forget about it and have fun." he tried to cheer me up.

I gave a small smile and did as my parents said.

I swam around the ballroom, greeting everyone with smile.

Most of them complimented me and chatted with us. Like most guests would.

I was having a difficult time making friends, since there seemed to be no one my age. Everyone was a lot older and more sophisticated.

I swam to the side and watched my sister having a good time. They were laughing and smiling with other mermaids and mermen.

I sat down and Dan asked, "Do you want me to get you something to drink?"

"Sure," I replied.

I watched him disappear in the crowd of merpeople.

When he was out of sight, a young merman swam up to me.

"Hello, Princess Pearl." he greeted.

"Hello." I greeted back. "You are?"

"I'm Prince Tullius of Indica."

"It's nice to meet you, Prince Tullius." I curtseyed.

"Me too." he bowed. "I couldn't help noticing your hair."

My happy expression turned into a serious one. "Well, it is a rare sight." I said. "You don't see a blue haired mermaid everyday."

"I suppose not." he stopped smiling as well. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things awkward."

"It's quite alright. I get this all the time."

"Um...Do you want to dance?" he asked, blushing slightly.

"I'm not a big dancer, but I will dance with you." I accepted, not wanting to be rude.

We held out his hand and I took it. He lead me to the dance floor and we started dancing.

He asked me questions about myself and I answered them. We took turns doing this throughout the song.

By the end of the night, I learned many things about him.

Like his favorite color was green and he had a younger sister.

Dan was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs when I was done being with Tullius.

"I guess it's not that hard making friends." I told Dan.

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**I hope you liked it. Sorry it was short, I'll try to make the next one longer. **

**Remember to review.**


	3. Gossip

Chapter 3: Gossip

**Hey everyone. Sorry for not updating in awhile. I'm here now, with another chapter for you, and that's all that matters.**

**So, I want to update on a regular schedule and I was thinking, one every two weeks. Sorry to make you readers wait so long, but I'm usually busy. However, I will update sooner, depending on reviews and stuff. *wink wink***

**Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter and sorry that it's short. I still hope you guys like it.**

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I was getting ready for bed, when my oldest sister came barging in.

"So tell me what happened. And I want to hear _everything_." she said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused on what she wanted me to tell her.

"You know what I mean. The boy were with."

"Oh, you mean Tullius." I said. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything." she grinned.

"Everything?" I asked. "What do you mean by 'everything'?"

"Just start from the moment you met him and go on from there."

"Alright." I said, unsure. I started to tell her about how he approached me and asked me to dance. I also told her how we asked each other questions throughout the dance, to get to know each other better.

My sister was quiet the whole time I was talking, but I saw in her eyes that many thoughts were running through her mind. I was afraid to ask why she wanted to know all of this, but I still did anyways.

"I just wanted to know why you were enjoying yourself." she answered. "You usually don't like these sort of things."

It was true. I hated balls and parties. I always felt like an outsider when I attended one.

"So? You were having fun as well. I don't know why you're so interested in me." I crossed my arms, knowing there was another reason to all of this.

"Yes, I was having fun, but that's different. I usually have a great time at these events, but you don't. It was a nice change to see you smiling with someone." she told me.

"I still don't see the big fuzz you're making over it." I huffed. "Now, can you leave. I'm trying to sleep here." I told her as I threw a pillow at here face.

"Fine, I'm going." she laughed and threw it back at me.

Once she left, I plopped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. After a while, I looked over at Dan and asked, "Why do you think she wanted to know that?"

"Well, I have a few ideas on why she wanted to know." he said, looking between me and the floor.

"Go on," I told him.

"Remember how Coraline said that the ball was to find a spouse for them?"

"Yea," I said, unsure of what to expect.

"I think she thinks that-well you know-that Tullius might like you."

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused. "Are you saying, that Coraline thinks that Tullius might like me? But that's impossible, we just met."

"So, a lot of people develop crushes on others they barely met. It's normal."

"Yea, but its strange to think that someone likes me." I told him. "But, whatever. We don't even know if that's true." I said as I wrapped myself with my blanket. "Goodnight, Dan." I whispered.

"Goodnight, Pearl." he said as he turned off the lights.

The room was dark and I was glad it was like that. I turned away and faced the wall.

I couldn't help it, but a smile crept on my lips. The thought of Tullius liking me made me feel happy since I never thought anyone would ever like me. I mean, I had crushes on others but I never thought about it happening to me.


	4. Exploring with Friends

Chapter 4: Exploring With Friends

**Hey guys. Sorry this chapter's a bit late. School has been a real pain lately, but I finally finished it. I hope you like it.**

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I woke up to empty silence. It was usually noisy in the castle during the morning. At first, I thought I had woken up earlier than everyone else, but I noticed the sunlight through my window. My eyes widened and I pushed away my blanket.

"Dan! Wake up!" I shouted. "We overslept!"

He slowly opened his eyes and saw me rushing around, getting ready for the day. He then understood what was happening and jumped out of bed. We swam downstairs, hoping that we would still breakfast.

My mind was too occupied with my plans that I wanted to do after breakfast, that I didn't see where I was going.

"Oof!" I crashed into a merman, causing him to drop his things. "Sorry," I apologized and helped him collect his things from the ground. I looked up to hand back the objects when I saw that it was Tullius. "Tullius? What are you doing here?" I asked. "Weren't you supposed to leave after the ball, like all the other guests?"

"Well, my father wanted to talk to your parents and they allowed us to stay here for a few days."

"Oh, well that's great." I smiled and Dan nudged my back. "What? Oh, Prince Tullius I would like you to meet Dan, my best friend. Dan, I would like you to meet Prince Tullius." I introduced them to one another. They said it was a pleasure to meet one another. "So, Dan and I are going to the dining room to see if we didn't miss breakfast."

"Miss breakfast?" he frowned. "You're mother said that you already eaten breakfast."

"What?" I asked. "No, I hadn't." I shook my head, but I knew why she would think that. I had the tendency to wake up and eat breakfast, earlier that anyone else, to get a early start on my exploring.

"Oh," he murmured. "Well, I'm heading there myself. You wouldn't mind that accompanied you two?"

"No, of course not." I replied and we made our way through the hallway. We reached the dining room doors and pushed them open.

Inside, my mother was sitting next to my father. They were both talking to a merman who looked like Tullius except older. They both had light brown hair and jade-green eyes. Also, they both had dark green tails. However, Tullius's dad had a small beard.

We approached the adults who were chatting among themselves.

"Pearl," my mother smiled. "I see you met up with Tullius." I nodded and started to speak, before she cut me off. "Would you give him a tour of the castle, while we talk?" she asked.

"Sure, but I want to get some breakfast first." I answered.

"Breakfast?" she asked. "I thought you had already eaten, since you weren't here earlier."

"Well, we kind of overslept." I answered as I took a seat beside her. Dan sat down next to me and Tullius sat down next to his dad.

One of the maids had served Dan and I breakfast and the adults stared at us while we ate. I felt uncomfortable being watched, and wondered why they hadn't continued with their earlier discussion. I had a feeling they didn't want us to be here.

I quickly chowed down my breakfast and agreed to take Tullius on a tour.

"What about our plans for the day?" Dan whispered.

"We'll do them later." I returned. "Come on, Tullius." I said, pulling both of them out of the room. I helped Tullius carry them, while I showed him around. By the end of our tour, I asked, "Do you know what they were talking about?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." he answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering." I said.

"Oh. So what are you going to do now?" he asked.

"Dan and I were planning to explore a sunken ship we found a few days ago. See if we could find anything interesting."

"Isn't that dangerous?" he frowned.

"Yea, but we done it a bunch of times. So, we know what to do." I smirked. "Do you want to come?" I asked. "It's really great." I grinned. He stared at me for a moment, but in a new way. One that I didn't recognize. "What?" I felt myself blush slightly.

"Huh? Oh, sure." he answered.

"Okay then. Come on," I grinned and took off. Dan was at my tail and Tullius trailing behind us.

"Wait up!" he kept shouting.

"No! You speed up!" I shouted back.

We made it to the sunken ship and waited for the brunette to catch up. He arrived panting, out of breath. "You're really quick." he said between breaths.

"Thank you. Now let's go." I said, pulling him by the wrist. We entered the ship and glanced around. "Do you see any sharks?" I asked Dan.

"I don't see any." he answered.

"Good." I smiled and turned to my new friend. "Okay, so it doesn't seem like there isn't anything right now. But, just search everywhere you can. In drawers, boxes, and whatever else. You never know what you can find. Oh and if you see a shark, just hide until there leave." I told him.

"Wouldn't it be better if I stay with you?" he asked.

"If you want." I smiled. "Come on, Dan. You know the drill." He nodded and swam off. I did as well, while Tullius following me.

"Aren't you scared that you'll get trapped here or something?"

"No, because I know Dan will be here to help." I answered as I searched around.

"How often do you two do this?" he questioned.

"Almost everyday." I answered casually.

"You're crazy for putting yourself in danger out here. Don't your parents worry about you?"

"Yes, of course. But they know I can take care of myself. I never returned home with a scratch. So I give them no reason to-" I picked up a box and opened it. Inside there was bracelet. "Pretty," I gasped and put it on.

"Isn't this like stealing?"

"No and stop worrying." I said, placing my hands on his shoulders. "Don't you ever do anything like this?" I frowned.

"No, my mom doesn't let me leave the palace." he shook his head. "That's why I was glad to come here."

"Oh." I looked away. "Well, I should give you a tour of the whole kingdom then. But it'll have to wait until tomorrow." I told him. "We should get going. It'll be dark soon and then we'll be in real trouble."

We met up with Dan who found two necklaces, one for Tullius and one for himself. Then, we headed back to the castle with something for each of us.


End file.
